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By Sam Hosler
Mayor, Town of Kearny
The Town of Kearny will cooperate with the towns of Hayden, Winkelman, and Mammoth in a process exploring the feasibility of having a unified police force serving all four towns. The Department of Public Safety initiated the process and is committed to providing the resources necessary for a task force to explore the mechanics and economics of a joint force and to make a recommendation either for or against to all four towns.
Further, DPS is proposing that DPS Sergeant Dave Blue, now the interim Chief of Police in Kearny, be allowed to serve as part-time Chief of Police for the four towns during the time that the task force is doing its work. Sergeant Blue’s salary during this time would be covered by DPS.
All of the towns have found it increasingly difficult during these hard economic times to fully provide police services. The turnover of officers and staff has been high, and the towns have such low salaries (among the lowest in Arizona) that they cannot compete with other towns for qualified people.
In a joint Intergovernmental Agreement, the towns have agreed to establish the task force, made up of the mayors of the four towns plus a Council member or other citizen of each community. The Town of Kearny will select its second representative at a special Town Council meeting on Wednesday, November 4, at 6 p.m. Residents of Kearny who wish to proffer their service are asked to submit a letter to Anna Flores, Town Manager, by 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 2, and be willing to come to the special meeting on November 4 to be interviewed by the Town Council. The Council is seeking someone with an open mind and willingness to cooperate on this project.
The task force will be busy. It will explore policing standards, models of policing in rural areas, and the particular needs and history of the four towns involved. As it develops a model for a single police force, it will be tested against economic realities.
The model being considered now is just a “skeleton.” There would be one police chief, three sergeants (based in Kearny, Hayden/Winkelman, and Mammoth), and police officers who would have a “home base” in the three service areas. There would be one dispatch operation, regular training, and a common standard of record keeping. One board (to be established by the four towns) would oversee the operation, and would be accountable to the towns.
Nothing of this scale and importance has ever been done in Arizona. If we succeed, we will be the first, and may well develop a model which will help other towns in rural Arizona.
The ultimate decision will be made by the four towns after the task force has done its work. The goal is to have a police force which is better trained, better compensated and better led, and fully responsive to the needs of the towns.
I will do my best as your Mayor and a member of the task force to keep everyone fully informed of the progress of this cooperative effort.
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